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(No Model.) A u v yR. A. HEALY E. D. O'NDBLL. .i A METHOD OF CLEARING STREETS OR RAILROAD TRACKS FROM SNOW.

No. 506,497. Patented. oet. 10,1893,

a2 di UNITED STATES RICHARD A. HEALY AND EDWARD D. CUNDELL, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY,

PATENT OFFICE.

ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO JOHN HlNCHLlFFE, OF SAME PLACE.

METRo 0F CLEARING STREETS 0R RAiiRoAmRAcks FROM sNow.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 506,497, dated October 10, 1893.

Application filed November 28, 1892- Serial No. 458,398. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Beit known that we, RICHARD A. HEALY and EDWARD D. CUNDELL, of' Paterson, county of Passaic, State of New Jersey, have invented -an Improvement in Snow-Melting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention consists of devices, to be set forthv hereinafter, for utilizing an intense hea-t produced by the combustion of a mixture of gas, and air, in properly constructed burners, similar to a blow pipe, the gas and atmospheric air being lignited under a sufficient degree of force imparted by a fan, or blower. Alarge number of burners are located beneath the platform of a movable car below the level of the snow, a few inches above the roadway or rails, and a strong and forcible blast of flame at a temperature equal to 2,500J or 3,0000 Fahrenheit is forced violently from the same. A system of burners is arranged in the front transverselyin a double row, and directed at an angle of forty tive degrees upon the snow, toward which the car is propelled. The jets of flame by their force lift the snow and throw it upward, and away from the road bed, and the heat of the flame liquees, or evaporates part in its first contact. The remainder falling through the battery of llame following the rear burners, is completely liquefied. At the same time the heat from the burners removes the snow that may be frozen to the rails, or lodged in the sunken portions thereof. In the illustrations that accompany this specification we show a machine which will accomplish these results Figure 1 being a side elevation of a car having oil or gas tank, blower or fan and burners mounted and attached placed upon a line of rails. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a front elevation showing the arrangement of burners.

Similar letters have reference to similar parts in all cases.

A Fig. l represents a car mounted on wheels upon which a boiler or tank B is secured by strap bolts. The tank B is provided with a safety valve C, pressure gage C', feed valve C2. A perforated pipe D is fitted in its interior space with suitable pipes D provided with check valve D3, stop valve D2leading to the intermediate receiver F which is provided with A motor G communicates motion to the` blower E bya belt E. Leading from the delivery outlet of the blower E is an air pipe H provided with a controlling valve H conducted downward below the car platform as shown in Fig. 1, and extendinglongitudinally under the car platform and transversely to the right and left in advance of and below the platform to form` two transverse tube sections H3, which as well as the tube section extending below the car platform are provided with branch burner tubes H2 inclined downward at an angle of forty-five degrees, the burner tubes on the transverse sections in front of the car being inclined also in the direction in which the car moves and the burner tubes on the tube section below the car being also inclined laterally. A pipe Kis connected with upper portion of the tank B and provided with a stop valve K and a check valve K2 and is carried down as shown in Fig. l to the air tube H and is inserted centrally therein through the stuing gland K4 from which the pipe K is led its entire length through the tube H. At

vthe burner tubes H2 short branch tubes K3 project from the pipe K, the ends of the tubos Ks being so arranged in relation tothe ends of the burner tubes H2 that a thorough mixture of gas and air is obtained, The pipes below and on front of the car are covered by a metal deflecting plate N, which serves-to prevent the heat from rising and to protect the frame of the car from injury by heat.

ln operation the tank B is nearly filled with kerosene, na phtha, benzoline, or other gaseous oil or vaporous fluid, through the feed valve C2 which being then closed the motorG being put in motion imparts by the belt Ea rotary motion to the fans of the blower E, by which means air is forced at a pressure into the large air tube H, and into the receiver F which being fully charged, the Valve D2 is opened permitting a necessary amount of air to pass through the pipe D into the tank B IOO through the perforated pipe D which is submerged in the naphtha oil or other ,vaporous fluid. The air then rising through the'vaporous iuid into the space formed in the tank above the fluid carries with it the gaseous vapor and particles of the ojlinto such receiving space. The valve K is then opened which permits the gas to iow through the tube K to the dierent tubes K3 located within the tube A light being applied the gas will ignite at the orifice butwithalow degreeofheat. The valve H is opened admitting air from the blower E through the pipe H connecting pipes H3 to the tubes H2 where mixing with the gaseous flame proceeding from the tubes K2 it is projected outward violently. The car is then propelled forward by suitable means. The jets of llame issuing from the tubes I-l2 K3,&c., striking the snow lying upon the track or surface of the street the saine is whirled about through the flames and heat and dissolved, liquefied or dispersed in vapor. A

Having described the. method of cleaning streets from snow and an apparatus fully suitable fr performing the operation, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows: K Y

l. The combination with a vehicle of a gas apparatus and air compressor on the same, of a transverse tube in front of the vehicle and having downwardly and frontwardly inclined burner tubes, and a tube extending longitudinally under the vehicle and having laterally and downwardly inclined burner tubes, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination with a vehicle of a transverse tube in front of the same and below the vehicle` platform, downwardly and frontwardly inclined burner tubes on said transverse tube, la tube extending longitudinally under the vehicle and laterally and downwardly inclined burner tubes on said tube extending longitudinally under the vehicle and means for conducting gas and air to said tubes, substantially as shown and described. ,Y l y y 3. A vehicle having a row of burner tubes arranged transversely in front of the vehicle and a row of burner tubes arranged longitudinally under the vehicle, substantially as shown and described. y l Y RICHARD A. H'EALY. EDWARD D. CUN DELL. Witnesses: v

MATHEW J. FLAHERTY, R. V. BUTLER. 

